Lotus seed Nelumbo nucifera

LATIN NAME: Nelumbo nucifera

COMMON NAME: Sacred Lotus, Indian Lotus, Pink Lotus

The sacred lotus is one of the most beautiful and most storied of the water plants, and its great, fragrant flowers and its noble, round leaves have been revered across Asia for thousands of years. It grows as an aquatic perennial, with long, stout stalks rising from the mud to carry the great, round, waxy leaves and the large, showy, fragrant flowers in pink, white or rose, which open in the morning and close at night, followed by the remarkable, flat-topped seed heads of many round, hard seeds. It is one of two extant species of the lotus family, native to the warm regions of Asia, and it is a symbol of purity and of the rising sun across the East, while its roots, its seeds and its leaves have all been used in the kitchens and the medicine chests of Asia for a very long time.

The sacred lotus belongs to the lotus family, Nelumbonaceae, and it is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family. It is also known as the padma or the kamala, the sacred lotus, the pink lotus, the Indian lotus or simply the lotus, and it is a symbol of purity across the East, while its roots, seeds and leaves have long been used.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The sacred lotus has a genuine and distinguished place in both nutritional and botanical research. It has been studied in nutrition and food science, since the roots, the seeds and the leaves are all eaten in Asia, and researchers have examined the content of the plant, including the starches of the roots, the proteins of the seeds and the lotus leaf compounds, while the lotus has been studied for its potential value as a healthy food, and the seeds have been studied for their remarkable longevity, since the ancient lotus seeds have been found and germinated after a very long time, which has drawn attention in the international science and food press. The plant has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the ancient lotus family, and researchers have examined its classification, its relationships and its remarkable biology, while the self-cleaning leaves of the lotus have been studied in the research on the “lotus effect”, which has inspired the development of the self-cleaning surfaces, a celebrated story in the international science press. The species has also been studied in horticulture, since it is a beloved water garden plant. For a plant of such beauty and such gifts, the sacred lotus has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, the sacred lotus is a generous plant of the warm waters. Its great flowers feed the bees and the birds, its round leaves give shade and shelter to the life of the pond, and it is a noble presence on the lakes and the ponds of Asia.

Its economic value is enormous. The roots, the seeds and the leaves are all eaten in Asia, and the lotus is a staple of the Asian kitchens, while its beauty and its symbolism have drawn attention in the international food, garden and wellness press, and its self-cleaning leaves have inspired the celebrated “lotus effect” in the materials science. For a grower, the sacred lotus is a rewarding water plant, and for a gardener with a warm, sunny pond it brings great fragrant flowers and noble leaves. The seeds are easy — nick the hard coats, then float them in warm water until they swell and sprout, then plant them in a pot of mud and place it in a warm, sunny pond, and they’ll grow on into a noble, flowering lotus.

Uses: edible. Garden. Landscape. Medicinal.

Sowing: under a proper temperature(above 16℃) and sunshine; can be sowed at any time of a year; takes only 50 to 60 days from sowing to blossoming, a little longer in autumn (60-80days), without any dormant period;

Seed treatment: break a little mouth on the sunken end of the seed; carefully not to hurt the embryo, do not peel; (you may find the method in the follow)

Seed germination: in summer, seeds should be good to be submerged under 20 ℃ -30 ℃ in water; Be kept inside and changed the water twice a day; It can germinate within 1 week; After that, Put it towards the sun, strengthen light but never let it dry; It Will outgrow fine-root and 2 to 3 young small lotus leaf after two weeks;

Transplanting: choose a proper basin, put in a half basin of garden soil or soil without any chemical pollution, immerse the soil whit water but no fertilizer 2 weeks before you transplant the plant; carefully transplant the seedlings into the soil, each one basin, proper of water after transplanting(not over the lotus leaves);

Autumn and winter management: 2-3 weeks after transplanting, fertilize the plants properly, better to keep it above 16℃.